Meet Ganga Devi

Meet Ganga Devi

Ganga Devi, 62, is a mother of 3, wife to Mangi Lal, and an inspiration to women and girls in Janadesar village in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.

Since the JBF/Wells for India projects began in 2008, Ganga Devi has been teaching and showing women how to transform their family’s lives through simple improvements to how they keep clean. She can not only build a toilet, but also explain why they are safer and more hygienic for women in particular to use, than the deeply entrenched tradition of open defecation.

Ganga Devi’s confidence has grown so much that she now proudly manages a women’s savings group who make purchasing decisions together (instead of men) for things they couldn’t afford alone, like tools for agriculture.

Ganga Devi commented: “Now I am more confident and knowledgeable, I am happy to speak about why it is good to keep clean and use toilets, even in big meetings. I feel my opinions are as good as any man’s!”